Tuesday, April 24, 2012

A Perfectly Practical Pinterest Perspective

Megan Carroll + Rebekah Magill

In a world of endless transition, communication remains a solid constant. From technology to cultural trends, the progression of media is largely responsible for shaping life as we know it. Using one of today's emerging revolutions, Pinterest, we are able to visually represent these effects, and modernly catalog the milestones of history.

1900s: The decade where the first
transatlantic radio signal was sent.
The audion was invented allowing for live radio broadcasting, improving
radio signals amplification and enhancing signal reception. Radio communications, or wireless telegraphy, were put into use by
the world's military and naval forces.
This decade also introduced the Ford Model T, the beginning of aviation,
color photography, the subway, air conditioning, vacuum cleaners that suck
(instead of blow), and neon lights to name a few things.

1910s:
By 1910, many suburban homes had been wired up with power (telephones)
and many new electric gadgets were being patented. The Titanic sinks, U.S. enters World War I. Thomas Edison introduces the
Kinetophone designed to merge the motion picture camera with the phonograph.
The first cross continental phone call was made. Electric starters, stainless steel, the tank, gas mask, and
bra were invented. Superhetrodyne tuners allowed radios to tune into different
radio stations and led to the official implementation of radio tuners. Motorized movie cameras replace hand
cranked movie cameras.

1920s: The Roaring Twenties were a time of radical change caused by the many
changes happening in technology with new advancements, discoveries, and
inventions. The new technology of
movies with sound and color led to the fast growth of Hollywood and
Cinemas. Prohibition laws were
passed, making the consumption and possession of alcohol illegal. Prohibition led to some of the most
well known gangsters who opened illegal bars called speakeasies. The most well
known gangster of the time was possibly Al Capone. This period also saw the growth of the Ku Klux Klan and the
growth of the Vigilante groups who took the law into their own hands and
lynched victims most often black without any trial. Beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

1930: The
1930’s started out with the Nation facing the Great Depression and the dust
bowl. Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and his “New Deal” helped heal our
country. Thanks to inventions such as the FM radio, and tape recorder, the
possibility of radio advertisements grew. The decade also learned how the media
could affect the people, thanks to Orsen Welles dramatic “War of the Worlds”
broadcast. The photocopier, the jet engine, the ballpoint pen, and drive-in
movie theater were all inventions that changed our nation. The decade also saw
advertisements directed towards women’s perception of their figures.

1940s: During this decade there was much
advancement in technology, mostly thanks to World War II efforts. The Atomic
bomb was created, the first nuclear reactor was developed, and the speed of
sound was broken. Both synthetic Cortisone and synthetic rubber were created
because cost for the natural substances rose drastically due to the War. Other
important inventions were the computer, the microwave, and the Polaroid camera.
Because of the Second World War, popularity in political advertisements grew;
the nation was trying to get support for its cause by asking people to buy war
bonds and support the troops. Another development in advertising was the
encouragement of women working outside of their traditional jobs.

1950s: During
the 1950s communication was rapidly improved by several highly technical
innovations. Advancements in electronics made television available to almost
everyone. Then electronic engineers developed systems of broadcasting and
receiving broadcast signals in color.
Television brought the moving picture into
people's homes and transformed the way people received information. Television transmitted ideas faster
than ever before. Television exposed people to other cultures and worldviews
and provided information that would play a major role in shaping popular public
opinion. Martin Luther King, segregation
ruling, Fortran computer language, diet pops, credit cards, solar power.

1960s: The 1960s were a time of political, social, cultural
and psychological change. Social movements, civil rights issues, student
protests and the Vietnam War gained notoriety through national publication,
specifically via television. TV's effect on politics, advertising and public
perception continued to grow during this time, via national broadcasting. Also
dubbed the “Swinging Sixties,” the decade experienced the fall/relaxation of social
taboos like sexism and racism that had grown in previous years. The
“Psychadelic” counter-culture of the 1960s popularized boisterous style, drug
use and the creative expansions of film, art and music.

1970s: The 1970s saw the rise of political scandal through
media’s growing reach. Amid Richard Nixon and The Watergate Scandal, social
culture became disillusioned and less optimistic than in the decade before. The
availability of cable TV allowed trends like the women’s movement and social
consciousness to became more accurately depicted in living room programs. Minority entertainment also emerged
among televised broadcasts and disco/soul entertainment to combat racism and
the fall of segregation. The 1970s became a time of trust in the media as more
people were able to see, first-hand the political and social happenings of the
generation.

1980s: Society of the 1980s embraced a new conservatism in
social, economic and political life characterized by the policies of President
Ronald Reagan. Scandals, sex and violence were abundant in movies, as well as
in the radio, television and print news. Consolidated media became a growing
trend with major networks, like CNN, emerging, and advertising glorified
notions of wealth, beauty and success, that few could actually attain. “Yuppies”
also emerged with an explosion of blockbuster movies and cable entertainment networks
like MTV, which introduced the music video and launched the careers of many
iconic artists.

1990s: The birth of the Internet. The 1990s is widely
regarded as the Information Age, characterized by the ability of individuals to
transfer and access information freely—bridging past and future decades.
Digital technologies like pagers and cell phones emerged to aid in personal
communication. The rise of the sitcom in television reflected society’s
real-life values and issues, and influenced many of the era’s fashion trends.
President Bill Clinton’s affair scandal inspired a media blitz and Y2K left
many skeptical that the century’s conclusion would be the last of technology.

2000s: The 2000s jumpstarted an era of globalization and
networked communication. The rise of the Internet allowed people to interact
with others, express their ideas, explore foreign lifestyles, become digital consumers,
perform research and experience the world without leaving home home. Social
Networks like Facebook and Twitter have contributed to the immediacy of media
and changing face of personal identity. Integrated content—Web, music, videos—has
also grown with the real world becoming synergized with the online world.